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FSU football: A daunting task

NoleSports.com editor;
Published 6:06 p.m. ET Dec. 25, 2013

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FSU receiver Rashad Greene hauls in a Jameis Winston touchdown pass in the first half of Saturday’s victory over North Carolina State.
Mike Ewen/Democrat Rashad Greene hauls in a Jameis Winston touchdown pass in the first half as Wolfpack defender Justin Burris. The Florida State Seminoles used a swarming defense to cause turnovers and Jameis Winston led the offense on the field as FSU took a 42-0 lead over the visiting North Carolina State Wolfpack.(Photo: Mike Ewen/Democrat)Buy Photo

The Florida State offense has one of the best passing attacks in the United States, with Heisman winning quarterback Jameis Winston throwing to a bevy of talented pass-catchers.

While the Auburn Tigers, statistically, have one of the worst pass defenses in the country. They are ranked 104th in the FBS in passing yards allowed (260.4 per game) and have given up more than 300 yards passing five times this season already. Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel and Georgia’s Aaron Murray each threw for over 400 yards against the Tigers.

Now Auburn’s maligned secondary will have to go up against arguably the best receiving corps in the country.

Florida State’s Rashad Greene, Kelvin Benjamin and Kenny Shaw all have over 900 yards this season and have been making big plays all year long.

“They’re very efficient,” FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher said.

“And we’re getting the ball to them in great situations. Jameis is doing it and reading and delegating the ball as far as how coverage goes. I think that’s one thing he does a tremendous job of is decision-making. He very rarely throws into coverage and bad situations.

“And (the receivers) do a great job of understanding where the holes are. They’re not only really intelligent in general, but they’re very football intelligent. They understand ball and where the holes are.”

Greene, who has 67 catches for 981 yards and nine touchdowns this season, was asked how he would cover Florida State’s receivers if he had to.

“Uhh, I definitely wouldn’t play man,” Greene said with a smile. “I wouldn’t give the opportunity for one-on-one matchups with a guy that is 6-6, 230 pounds on a guy that is 5-11. … I’d be more of a zone guy to try to cover us.”

Benjamin was having a solid season anyway, but the last two games for the redshirt sophomore were spectacular. He had nine catches for 212 yards and three touchdowns against Florida and then followed that up with a 119-yard, two-touchdown performance against Duke in the ACC Championship game.

He’s a matchup nightmare for anyone. And Auburn’s defensive backs certainly know how unfair it can be to try to guard a wideout with the skills of Benjamin. Or Greene or Shaw for that matter.

It didn’t work out real well for the Tigers against any of them, as Evans (11 for 287 and 4) Landry (7 for 118 and 1) Cooper (6 for 178 and 1) and Green-Beckham (6 for 144 and 2) all torched the Auburn secondary.

“All of those guys are pretty good now,” Fisher said with a smile. “Not just tall, but they can run and make plays. I think size is critical, but you have to be technique oriented. You have to be very technique sound.

“Size does make a difference, but you’ve got to be able to run, change direction, you’ve got to have ball skills to play over the top. … All of those guys you talked about right there — they have all of those attributes.”

But Fisher knows his guys aren’t too shabby either. And they’ve got a pretty good guy throwing them the ball, too. No one knows exactly how it will turn out on Jan. 6 in Pasadena, but if the Seminoles’ passing attack performs like it has all year it will be another big night for the wide receivers.

Which would be a fitting end for the record-breaking trio.

“It’s very rewarding to know that the work we put in with Jameis and the other quarterbacks on our team is paying off,” Greene said. “To win an ACC championship and be able to play in a national championship game that we’re trying to win is a huge honor for us.”